Noon briefing of 28 April 2005
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON
BRIEFINGBY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS,
NEW YORKThursday, 28 April, 2005
ANNAN STRESSES THAT COTE D'IVOIRE ELECTIONS MUST BE FREE, FAIR AND TRANSPARENT
Secretary-General Kofi Annan
takes noteof the announcement made by President Gbagbo on 26 April that all candidates nominated by the parties signatory to the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement would be eligible for the Presidency in the upcoming national elections.
This would be in accordance with the determination made by President Mbeki in this regard following the Pretoria Agreement signed by the Ivorian parties on 6 April 2005.
The Secretary-General welcomes this development while stressing that it is vital that the parties take all necessary steps to ensure that the elections are free, fair and transparent and conform to international standards.
The Secretary-General once more urges the parties to implement their respective commitments under the Pretoria Agreement promptly, in good faith and without exception or reservation, in order to expeditiously move the peace process forward.
ANNAN WELCOMES FORMATION OF NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT
The Secretary-General
welcomesthe establishment today of the Transitional Government of Iraq, and is pleased that this is the result of a broadly consultative and democratic process following the successful elections of 30 January.
The Secretary-General notes the ongoing efforts to ensure that the new Government is as representative and inclusive as possible, and hopes that these efforts meet the expectations of all of Iraq’s communities.
The United Nations is committed to doing everything possible to assist Iraq to move forward to the next phase of its political transition, particularly the drafting of a new constitution and the holding of a referendum and national elections.
To that end, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (
UNAMI) looks forward to working closely with the new Iraqi authorities and the people of Iraq .
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, also welcomed the formation of a new Iraqi government, saying that the establishment of the transitional government is an important step in Iraq's democratic transition.
Qazi stressed that the convening of the Transitional National Assembly and formation of the government have prepared the ground for the constitution making process which is expected to be completed by August 15 and to be put to the people of Iraq in a referendum on October 15 this year.
SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM LEBANON TOMORROW
The
Security Councilwill discuss Lebanon, and the implementation of resolution 1559, in an open meeting tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m.
Council members will be briefed by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy dealing with resolution 1559, Terje Roed-Larsen. The Secretary-General will attend that briefing.
Council members will then hold consultations on the same subject.
Asked about the work of the team investigating the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the Spokesman said that the administrative team for that investigation is on the ground, and he added that there is no news about the head of the team.
He added that the team verifying the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon is doing their work, and is expected to report within 10 days on whether they have sufficient manpower for that work.
Asked about the situation of detainees in Syria, the Spokesman said that, if asked, the Secretary-General’s good offices are always open.
ANNAN CALLS FOR RETURN TO CONSTITUTIONAL RULE IN NEPAL
The Secretary-General today ended his visit to India by discussing his agenda for change at the United Nations, and emphasizing that it aims to enhance freedom by pursuing goals in development, security and human rights.
In a
lecturehe delivered at the India International Centre, he strongly rebutted the suggestion that development, and the concerns of the developing world, did not receive much attention in his "In Larger Freedom" report. On the contrary, he said, the report contains important proposals on trade and debt relief, as well as the Secretary-General’s call on all developed countries to reach a target for increased development aid of 70 cents out of every $100 of gross national income.
The Secretary-General said that it would be preferable for Member States to agree on Security Council reform by consensus, but inability to reach consensus should not become an excuse for postponing action.
The Secretary-General also participated in an exchange of questions and answers after his lecture, and then gave a press conference before leaving New Delhi .
Asked about the situation in Nepal, the Secretary-General said that he had met the King recently in Jakarta. The Secretary-General had told the King that he wanted to see a return to constitutional rule as soon as possible.
The Secretary-General added that it was important that the political parties be allowed to resume their activities.
On the question of weapons and arms to Nepal, he said that, obviously, individual countries had their own policies, but that the UN often discouraged transfer of arms, or shipment of arms, into any area of conflict, because that would only exacerbate what was going on.
Asked about what the UN could do in Nepal, the Secretary-General said the Organization was already very active on the ground. In addition to providing humanitarian assistance, the UN had just decided to send a human rights team to monitor what was going on on the ground.
He added that, if at any future date, it became necessary for the UN to do more, and that was agreed with the government and others, obviously the UN would be prepared to do that.
The Secretary-General also said the UN was in touch with neighbours and other friends of Nepal, including the government of India.
The Secretary-General is now on his way back to New York.
NEW U.N. POLITICAL MISSION TO FOLLOW PEACEKEEPING OPERATION IN TIMOR-LESTE
The Security Council today voted unanimously to establish a one-year political mission in Timor-Leste, to follow up on the work done by the
UN peacekeeping missionthat ends its work there on 20 May.
The follow-on mission, the UN Office in Timor-Leste, is to remain in the country until 20 May, 2006 . It will include 45 civilian advisers to support the development of critical state institutions, and will have 40 police advisers to support the development of the Timorese police. The Office is also to have up to 35 additional advisers to support the work of the Border Patrol Unit, and ten human rights officers.
Also today, the Security Council decided to extend the mandate for the
UN Mission in Western Saharauntil this 31 October.
BRITISH NEWSPAPER APOLOGIZES TO U.N. OFFICIAL
We announced here on the 17 March that allegations made against Jacques Grinberg, the former Chief of Staff at the
UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC), were unsubstantiated.
We are pleased to see that the UK daily, The Independent, today issued an apology for misrepresenting his conduct.
The newspaper had implied that he had been involved in sexual exploitation of Congolese women.
In its apology, it acknowledged that Grinberg has been at the forefront of efforts to combat sexual abuse by peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is a highly respected and experienced UN staff member.
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY SENDS EMERGENCY TEAM TO BENIN, AS TOGOLESE REFUGEES FLEE UNREST
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is
deployingan emergency team to Benin, where refugees fleeing general insecurity in Togo are continuing to arrive. It has also begun to truck in basic supplies from its regional warehouse in Accra, Ghana, via Burkina Faso .
As of today, more than 3,600 refugees have arrived in Benin since Togo’s election results were announced on Tuesday. The majority of them are women and children. The agency also reports that an additional 450 Togolese refugees have sought shelter in Ghana.
NO GROUNDS FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST FORMER CHEF DE CABINET
A number of you had been asking for an update on the status of Iqbal Riza, the Secretary-General’s former Chef de Cabinet.
After reviewing the findings in the latest Volcker report and consulting with the Office of Legal Affairs as well as the Office of Human Resources, the Secretary-General has found there is no ground for disciplinary action against him.
Paul Volcker, the head of the Independent Inquiry Committee found that Mr. Riza acted imprudently and did not follow his own directive but he found no violations of staff rules.
He has written to Mr. Riza informing of his decision. In the letter, which will be made available to you upstairs, the Secretary-General says he accepts Mr. Riza’s apology for his actions.
Asked what the Secretary-General said about Riza’s actions, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General acknowledged in his letter that Riza’s actions were careless, but added that he does not believe that they can be construed as deliberate attempts to impede the work of the Volcker committee.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. REFORM GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY: This evening, Ernesto Zedillo – former President of Mexico and one of the Secretary-General’s UN reform envoys – will deliver a message on behalf of the Secretary-General to the Community of Democracies, which is currently meeting in Santiago, Chile. The message is expected to advance the idea that the UN reforms proposed by the Secretary-General would be good for democracy and therefore worthy of the Community’s support.
LETTER FROM BENON SEVAN’S LAWYER NOT THREATENING: In response to questions concerning a letter from the lawyer for Benon Sevan, the Spokesman said that he would not characterize the letter as a threat. The United Nations, he said, had received the letter earlier this month, asking the UN to reconsider its earlier decision not to reimburse Sevan’s legal fees. The Secretary-General’s position on this remains unchanged, the Spokesman said, noting that the UN would not reimburse those fees.
ANYONE KNOWING ABOUT OIL-FOR-FOOD PROBLEMS URGED TO COME FORWARD: Asked about the possibility that UN staff members possess knowledge about problems in the
oil-for-foodprogram, the Spokesman said the United Nations urges anyone with such information to report it to the Independent Inquiry Committee so that they can get to the bottom of it.
JOB-RELATED ACCIDENTS & ILLNESSES ON THE RISE: The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are today
observingthe World Day for Safety and Health at Work. According to new estimates by the ILO, the number of job-related accidents and illnesses, which annually claim more than two million lives, appears to be rising because of rapid industrialization in some developing countries.
LIBERIA TO GET NEW U.N. ENVOY: The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Liberia, will be leaving his post at the end of the month, as his contract expires. He was appointed to the post in July 2003. Discussions on his replacement are underway.
HIV/AIDS BECOMING FEMINIZED AND YOUTH-CENTERED: Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of the
UN Population Fund, is in Honduras today to participate in a regional meeting on HIV/AIDS. She warned that HIV/AIDS is becoming a feminized, youth-centered epidemic and called for a comprehensive approach to fight the disease. In Honduras, AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age.
U.N. MISSION IN KOSOVO GETS NEW INSTITUTION-BUILDING CHIEF: The Secretary-General has
appointedWerner Wnendt as his new Deputy Special Representative for the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo’s institution-building pillar, which is led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Wnendt is a German national.
INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE MUST CONTINUE IN TIMOR-LESTE: In a message to an international symposium on UN peacekeeping operations in post-conflict Timor-Leste, taking place today and tomorrow in Dili, Timor-Leste, the Secretary-General said that it was crucial to Timor-Leste’s long-term security, stability and sustainable development that international assistance continue beyond the expiration of the current mandate of the UN Mission in that country (
UNMISET) on 20 May.
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